Pop-Ups Are Unpopular,
But Have Staying Power

By

Stephanie miles The Wall Street Journal Online

Updated Jan. 13, 2003 8:44 p.m. ET

Few people click on pop-up ads anymore, and more than three quarters of Web users say they don't like them. But the premium ad rates that pop-ups command could keep them around longer than many surfers would like, according to a recent study.

The survey by Stamford, Conn., technology-research firm Gartner Inc., found that pop-up ads -- which launch a new browser window in front of an existing Web page -- are considered annoying by 78% of Internet users. Pop-under ads, which launch a new ad window behind the existing page,...